City versus Country

We are back in LA, arriving about 30 minutes ago from Ojai (9:30 pm). We had a great trip there with lovely weather. The high today was only 79 and we had an ocean breeze to boot so it was especially nice. It is funny to return here (the heart of the city) after being there (the edge of a little town). The contrasts are fairly major, with the primary one being traffic-related. Here we live on a major thoroughfare that connects Sunset and Santa Monica Boulevards. There we live on a private dirt road with only an occasional car. Here we have neighbors on either side plus a fourteen story condominium across the street. There we have two neighbors who are not within shouting distance. Here we walk our dogs around the block and they play in our backyard. There, the dogs have the run of the entire orange grove and often chase each other from one end to the other at full speed. Here I often have to work hard to get enough exercise. There I have to routinely walk from one end of the orange grove to the other, and getting in my recommended 10,000 steps a day is easy. Here I spend most of my time working on the computer. There I spend most of my time working outside. You can see why I love going to Ojai.

Having grown up in a little town, my heart is always happy when I’m in a country environment. I love trees, green grass, lots of open space and a more relaxed pace. On the other hand, having grown up in a small town, I especially love living in a city where I access to all the wonderful things that cities offer: shops, wonderful restaurants, art museums, the LA Phil, a dozen choices of places to go and people to see.

Luckily, I don’t have to choose one over the other. I can enjoy both.

In other words, I’m both a city mouse and a country mouse. The best of both worlds.

On that note, I think I’ll head up to a hot tub. This is something we don’t have at the orange grove, though I believe we have plans for that addition sometime this summer!